Milton, Wisconsin facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Milton, Wisconsin
City
Looking north in downtown Milton
Nickname(s):  History in Progress
Location of Milton in Rock County, Wisconsin
Country	United States
State	Wisconsin
County	Rock County
Area
• Total	4.28 sq mi (11.08 km2)
• Land	4.26 sq mi (11.03 km2)
• Water	0.02 sq mi (0.04 km2)
Elevation	889 ft (271 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	5,716
• Density	1,341.8/sq mi (518.1/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP Code	53563
Area code(s)	608
FIPS code	55-52200
GNIS feature ID	1569532
Website	www.ci.milton.wi.us

Milton is a city in Rock County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 5,716 at the 2020 census.

History

Milton House

The city was formed as a result of the 1967 merger of the villages of Milton and Milton Junction. In November of that year, ballots were cast by 1,093 voters from both villages (Milton: 515 to 47 in favor of the merge; Milton Junction: 322 to 201 in favor of the merge), and the referendum to merge the two was approved by 77%.

Originally named Prairie du Lac, Milton was settled in 1838 by Joseph Goodrich, who came from Alfred, New York with his family to the locality for religious and educational reasons. As soon as he moved he organized a Seventh Day Baptist Church in November 1840, and in 1844 a school that would later become a college. He also built an inn, a Milton House, without crossing two trade routes.

The Milton House is today one of the oldest poured grout structures in the United States. A noted abolitionist, Goodrich is known to have helped fugitive slaves escape to freedom via the Underground Railroad.

It is believed that Milton is named after poet John Milton, author of "Paradise Lost," after a settler remarked that the town was his "Paradise Regained" after leaving his previous home, which he thought of as a paradise lost.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.54 square miles (9.17 km²), of which, 3.53 square miles (9.14 km²) is land and 0.01 square miles (0.03 km²) is water.

Demographics

Sign on WIS 26

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 5,546 people, 2,231 households, and 1,499 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,571.1 inhabitants per square mile (606.6/km²). There were 2,382 housing units at an average density of 674.8 per square mile (260.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 96.0% White, 0.5% African American, 0.2% Native American, 1.0% Asian, 1.1% from other races, and 1.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 2.4% of the population.

There were 2,231 households, of which 35.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.4% were married couples living together, 11.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 32.8% were non-families. 26.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 2.98.

The median age in the city was 35.8 years. 26.3% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 28.3% were from 25 to 44; 25.1% were from 45 to 64, and 12.5% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.1% male and 50.9% female.

Religion

Milton Seventh Day Baptist Church

The Seventh Day Baptist Church in Milton, built in 1934, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in August 2016.

Economy

Milton is the site of a $70 million ethanol plant built by United Cooperative. A Cargill animal nutrition plant is located in Milton, with a 170-foot (52 m) grain elevator.

Education

Milton Schools include Milton High School, Milton Middle School, Northside Intermediate School, Milton East Elementary, Milton West Elementary, Consolidated Elementary, Harmony School, and Blackhawk Tech which was MECAS (Milton Edgerton Clinton Alternative School).

The former Milton College started operating in 1844, being incorporated into the Wisconsin legislature in 1848 as Academy DuLac, offering high school courses concurrently with higher education. The academy progressed to the point of becoming a college in 1867. The college had clear connections with the US's Seventh Day Baptist church, which offered them operational support. Milton native Albert Whitford, a graduate of the college, became a leading astronomer. Another alumnus, Dave Krieg, was an All-Pro quarterback with the Seattle Seahawks.

The city is increasingly tied to Janesville, its larger neighbor to the south, and parts of Janesville are now within the Milton School District as that city expands to the north and east. Students who go to Milton may live in several other districts surrounding Milton, such as Janesville and Harmony district.

Notable people

See also

In Spanish: Milton (Wisconsin) para niños